An American tourist who was jailed for trespassing on an uncontacted tribe’s island has been freed on bail but has been ordered to remain in India.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, was released under strict conditions in court Friday, a month after he was arrested on March 31 for contacting the Sentinelese people on Sentinel Island.
The Sentinelese are among the last isolated tribes in the world, with roughly 200 people inhabiting the islands around 700 miles off the coast of India.
Polyakov was arrested on the Andaman Island, a territory of India, after he returned from offering the Sentinelese people a can of coke as a ‘peace offering.’
In court on Friday, Polyakov was ordered to remain in Andaman Island’s capital Port Blair until his case is decided, with the 24-year-old facing up to five years in prison for his stunt.
His bail was also granted on the condition of providing two sureties, which must include a resident of Port Blair, and must meet with the officer overseeing his case twice a week.
Polyakov had his passport and visa seized following his arrest, and officials said in a statement he will ‘remain in Port Blair until further hearings.’
While Polyakov made it off the island alive, his trip came almost seven years after American missionary John Allen Chau, 27, was killed by the Sentinelese when he attempted to ‘convert’ them to Christianity.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, is facing five years in prison after being arrested for landing on an uncontacted tribe’s island, and was bailed out on Friday under strict conditions
Polyakov was arrested after he allegedly made an illegal and unauthorized landing at the tribal reserve on North Sentinel Island, which is inhabited by the ‘particularly vulnerable’ Sentinelese tribe (pictured in this file photo)
Polyakov’s arrest comes almost seven years after American missionary John Allen Chau (pictured), 27, was killed by the Sentinelese when he attempted to ‘convert’ them to Christianity
It comes as authorities say they believe the Sentinelese may still have the can of coke, with sources previously telling The Sun they have no way of recovering it from the forbidden island.
When Polyakov was collared by police last month, cops said they found Go-Pro footage of him illegally landing at Sentinel Island.
He was believed to have been filming for his YouTube channel, with also featured footage of a visit to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan earlier this year.
The Sentinelese are known for their hostility toward any intruders, with Indian authorities strictly preserving their way of life by barring any attempts to contact them.
Authorities say contacting the tribe also risks wiping them out as they have no immunity to common diseases from the outside world.
Indian investigators have prosecuted any locals who have aided attempts to enter the island and are trying to identify anyone who may have helped Polyakov.
Police say Polyakov’s journey to the prohibited territory was meticulously planned, alleging that the tourist had studied sea conditions, tides and access points before he set sail.
Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, pictured in his arrest photo, faces up to five years in jail for sneaking onto the forbidden territory of North Sentinel, part of India’s Andaman Islands
When cops found Polyakov’s footage of his arrival on the island, he reportedly dictated his first steps on the forbidden area, but did not come face-to-face with the tribesmen.
‘That is it. The last uncontacted tribe. The last mystery. If they see me, will they attack? Or will they accept me?’ he said in the recording, according to The Telegraph.
Under interrogation, Polyakov reportedly told officers that he was a ‘thrill seeker’ who films his stunts for YouTube.
Polyakov – who last year spent time with gun toting Taliban in Afghanistan – regularly posts his exploits on YouTube under the username Neo-Orientalist, a direct reference to the concept of how Western countries often portray the Islamic world in a stereotypical and negative way.
Police say he first arrived at Port Blair on March 26 before venturing to Sentinel Island on March 28, using a grey Gemini inflatable boat to sail across a 25-mile straight from Kurma Dera Beach to the forbidden island.
He set sail for restricted territory around 1am, ‘carrying a coconut and a Diet Coke as offerings for the Sentinelese.’ He reached the northeastern shore of North Sentinel Island around 10am, according to a report from Andaman and Nicobar police.
Polyakov surveyed the area with binoculars and kept blowing a whistle off the shore for about an hour to attract the tribe’s attention before he went ashore.
‘He landed briefly for about five minutes, left the offerings on the shore, collected sand samples, and recorded a video before returning to his boat,’ the report said.
Polyakov sailed across a 25-mile straight from Kurma Dera Beach to North Sentinel Island on this inflatable boat, which has been seized by police
Polyakov landed on the island for roughly five minutes, collected sand samples, recorded a video on his GoPro, and left behind a can of soda and a coconut as ‘offerings for the Sentinelese’ tribe (pictured in a file photo above)
Polyakov, 24, (pictured) creates YouTube videos under the username Neo-Orientalist, and described himself as a ‘thrill seeker’ to authorities
‘A review of his GoPro camera footage showed his entry and landing into the restricted North Sentinel Island.’
‘At 1pm he started his return journey and reached Kurma Dera Beach by 7pm, where he was spotted by local fisherman.’
Police say Polyakov had visited the region twice in October last year with plans to sail to North Sentinel Island using an ‘inflatable kayak’, but was stopped by staff at a hotel he was staying at.
He visited again in January this year, where he visited the Baratang Islands and ‘illegally videographed the Jarawa tribe’.
Polyakov seemingly teased his visit to North Sentinel Island five months ago when he posted a cartoon image of a Tintin style adventurer, accompanied with a small brown dog, sailing a small boat towards a desert island.
He captioned it: ‘A little Columbus Day teaser for the fans.’
Caroline Pearce, the director of indigenous rights group Survival International, branded Polyakov’s attempt to visit the island as ‘reckless and idiotic’.
The official police report detailing his arrest noted that Polyakov, 24, (pictured) had already attempted to land on the island twice before – once last October and again In January
Polyakov arrived at the shores of North Sentinel Island (pictured in file photo) around 10am on March 29
‘This person’s actions not only endangered his own life, they put the lives of the entire Sentinelese tribe at risk,’ she said in a statement provided to MailOnline.
‘It’s very well known by now that uncontacted peoples have no immunity to common outside diseases like flu or measles, which could completely wipe them out.’
‘It’s good news that the man in this latest incident has been arrested, but deeply disturbing that he was reportedly able to get onto the island in the first place.’
‘The Indian authorities have a legal responsibility to ensure that the Sentinelese are safe from missionaries, social media influencers, people fishing illegally in their waters and anyone else who may try to make contact with them.’
